Weft-replenishing mechanism for looms.



No. 666,385. Patented Jan. 22, l90l.

I J. KEITH. WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

(Application file'd Feb. 16, 1899.1

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

wrrmssscs: 'NVENTUR:

(fimz 22% THE mums Y'ETE |'IS c0, PHU'U-UYHO, WASHINGTON. n c.

Patanted l an. 22, l90l.

J. KEITH. WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

(Applicatioxi filed Feb. 16, 18953.;

I 2 Sheets-Shqet 2.

(No Model.)

i W l v. I @E v INVEZNTEIR WITNESS E5.

Usirrnn STATES PATENT 0mins.

JEREMIAH KEITH, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE] ISLAND.

VVEFT=REPLENHSHENG MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SFEJIFEGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,385, dated January22, 1901. Application filedPebruary 16, 1899. Serial No. 705.698. (N0model) T 0 (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known thatI, JEREMIAH KEITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Weft-Replenishing Mechanism for Looms, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide efficient means for dischargingthe shuttle from the shuttle-race upon the breaking or failure of thefilling-thread and the insertion of a fresh shuttle in its stead; and myinvention consists in employing the momentum of the discharged shuttlefor forcing the fresh shuttle into the shuttle-box.

It also consists in means for removing the picker out of the path of theshuttle upon the breaking or failure of the filling-thread and inspecial details of construction, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of aloom provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 represents an end view of thesame. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail section taken in the line 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail top view showing theconnec tion of the weft-fork with the breast-beam. Fig. 5 represents atop View of the swinging arm which serves to cause the depression of thepicker-staff and picker. Fig. (3 represents a top view of the bed of thehopper. Fig. 7 represents a detail view showing the mechanism foropening the shuttle-binder. Fig. 8 represents a top view of thehorizontal lever by means of which the shuttle-binder is opened, andFig. 9 represents an axial section of the bed of the hopper.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the loom; B, the breast-beam;O, the lay; D, the cam-shaft; E, the crank-shaft, and F the pitman,which connects the crank with the lay. The weft-fork a is pivoted at thepoint a to the slide b, which is provided with a slot 1), adapted toreceive the upright arm 0 of the bell-crank lever c, the said leverbeing pivoted at the stud c and having its arm (Z in engagement with thecam cZ upon the shaft D. The slide 1) is held in the block e, secured tothe upper side of the breast-beam B, and

. at its outer end 8 en a es with the arm secured to the end ofrock-shaft f, which is supported at the front side of the breast-beam Bin the bearings g g, and upon the rockshaftf is placed thetorsion-spring g, secured at one end to the bearing g and at the otherto the adjustable collar 71,, the torsion of the said spring serving tocarry the armf inwardly, and to the opposite end of the rockshaft f issecured the arm h, which engages with the arm i of the lever 1;, thesaid lever being secured to the upper end of the upright rock-shaft j;which is held in the bearingbrackets j j, attached to the loom-frame,and upon the rock-shaftj is placed the torsionspring 10, which issecured at one end to the bearing-bracket j and at the other end to theadjustable collar the 'said spring serving to carry the arm Z of thelever t" inward, the said arm being carried outward against theresilience of the spring by means of the outward movement of the slide1). The arm Z is provided at its end with the turned portion Z, whichupon the outward movement of the arm Zwill be brought in the proper linefor engagement with the upper side of the downwardly-turned curved arm mof the bell-crank lever m, which is pivoted at the point 92 to thebracket '11, attached to the lay-beam, and connected at its upperend 0with the shuttle-binder 0, located at the forward side of theshuttle-box, so that upon the engagement of the arm m of the belloranklever m with the arm Z, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8, theshuttle-binder will be drawn outward against the resilience of theshuttle-binder springp to allow the ready entrance of a fresh shuttleinto the shuttle-box upon the discharge of the shuttle therefrom, thearm Z of the lever 2" passing over the arm m of the bell-crank lever mand opening the shuttle-binder at the forward beat of the lay. To thelower end of the upright rockshaftj is secured the curved arm p, (shownin Fig. 5,) which passes between the antifriction-rollers p of thejoint-piece q of the toggle levers q q, one of which levers is jointedto the bracket r, attached to the loom frame, and the other to the armr, which is pivoted to the frame at the point 5. The picker-staff s isheld to slide in the socket-piece if, provided at one side with the slott, the said picker-staff being provided with the stud M, which projectsthrough the slot 25 and engages with the underside of the arm r, and bymeans of the downward movement of the arm 9* the pickeru, which servesto throw the shuttle, may be drawn downward out of the shuttle-box toallow the escape of the shuttle by the unobstructed continuation of itsflight through the end of the shuttle-box, the upward movement of thepicker-staff being effected by means of the bent spring a upon which thelower end of the picker-staff rests.

The inclined hopper a in which the shuttles a a (t are held preparatoryto being fed to the shuttle-box, is supported by the standard O, whichmay be either secured to the floor at the end of the loom, as shown inFig. 1, or attached to the frame A. To the projecting arm I) of thestandard C is pivoted the bell-crank lever which is actuated in onedirection by means of the spring 0 and in the opposite direction bymeansof the engagement of the dying shuttle with the butter 0 at the lowerend of the arm (1 and the outer end of the arm (Z is provided with theslot 6 which incloses the stud c projecting from the face of the slide fThe sl1uttleforcerf is attached to the slidef by means of the rods g gwhich are held in proper adjustment by means of the set-screws 9 Theopposite endsof the hopper a are provided with the side guides h 7L2,which serve to retain the deposited shuttles in position endwise. At thelower end of the hopper a are arranged the rock-shafts 01 a, providedwith the inwardly-directed wings a a which serve to support the lowershuttle 0, of the series until the said shuttle is forced into theshuttle-box 2' by the downward action of the forcer f. The wings a a arecaused to support the shuttle by means of the torsionsprings 71, 71arranged upon the outward projection of the shafts C64 a, and theshuttle is forced downward between the wings a a upon the downwardmovement of the shuttleforcerf caused by the impact of the flyingshuttle a upon the butter 0 of the lever h I claim as my invention 1. Ina loom, the combination of the lay, the weft-fork, and means foractuating the shuttle through the shed, with means connected with theweft-fork for withdrawing the shuttle-actuating means, and allowing theshuttle.

to pass directly through the shuttle-box without deflection.

2. In a loom, the combination of the lay and the picker-staff with theweft-fork and means arranged between the picker-statf and weftfork formoving the picker-sta'lf out of the path of the flying shuttle,substantially as described.

3. In aloom, the combination of the lay,and the hopper for holding theshuttles, of means for causing the impact of the discharged flyingshuttle, to force a shuttle from the hop per into the shuttle-box,substantially as described.

4. In a loom, the combination of the lay, the shuttle-bog. theshuttle-binder, and means for actuating the shuttle through the shed,with means connected with the weft-fork, for withdrawing theshuttle-actuating means to allow the discharge of the shuttle from theshuttle box and for opening the shuttlebinder at the forward movement ofthe lay, substantially as described.

5. In a loom, the combination of the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, and theshuttlebinder, a hopper, and devices operated by the flying shuttle fortransferring a shuttle from the hopper into the said shuttle-box, at thefor ward movement of the lay, with devices to open the shuttle-binderprior to the passage of the flying shuttle through the sh little-box,and to close the binder upon the subsequentlyinserted shuttle,substantially as described.

6. In aloom, the combination of the lay, the picker staff, and means foroperating the same,with ahopper held independently of the lay, a forcerand the shuttle actuated by the picker-staff to cause the transfer ofanother shuttle from the hopper to the shuttle-box, substantially asdescribed.

7. A shuttle-feeding apparatus, consisting of a hopper, a forcer, and anactuating-lever provided with a hunter adapted to receive the impact ofthe flying shuttle, substantially as described.

JEREMIAH KEITII.

Witnesses:

SOORATES SonoLFmLn, CHARLES W. LYNCH.

